When We Last Left Off...'CSI' and 'Without A Trace'

The official start of the TV season is less than two weeks away, so it seems appropriate to recap the final moments of some of our favorite shows. Think of it as a refresher course before the premiere. If you've been watching the reruns all summer, then you won't need the quick brush up, but for those who do, I'll be going over the big plot points of some of your favorites including CSI, Without A Trace, Medium, Lost, Everwood, Desperate Housewives, Cold Case, and Alias this week. First up, CSI and Without A Trace.

When we last left off on CSI, the team rescued a buried alive Nick Stokes (George Eads) from certain death. The air in his dark coffin was getting thinner and thinner. Every time the team logged on to check on Nick, they ran the light, which ate up more of the quickly dwindling air supply. Luckily, Grissom and the gang made it to Nick's underground prison in time, but the issue was a bit more complicated than they had hoped. Nick was covered in stinging ants and his air supply was running out, but the team had to somehow remove the Plexiglas coffin without detonating the explosives underneath it. If there had been a change in weight, the explosives would have gone off, so the team brought in a backhoe and dumped dirt on the coffin as they released Nick. It worked, and an ambulance took Nick to a nearby hospital to be examined. Grissom told Ecklie that he wanted the teams back together. Will Ecklie listen? Will Nick suffer any residual effects from his dark experience? Tune in September 22nd on CBS to find out!

When we last left off on Without A Trace, we were filled with the good news that Viv's surgery went well, and she was expected to make a full recovery. The shocking part came during the very last scene. Danny and Martin were escorting a suspect when they stopped for a red light. The light turned green, but the dark colored van in front of them did not move. Danny honked the horn, and suddenly, armed men jump out of the back of the van shooting at our favorite FBI Agents. They had been working on a complicated case involving an identity theft ring linked to terrorists. The group had already killed a young girl that the missing person had been helping. Are Danny and/or Martin next? Is the terrorist ring responsible? Will Viv's condition continue to improve now that she's through the surgery? Tune in September 29th on CBS to find out!

Tomorrow, we'll recap Medium and Lost. Be sure to tune in then!

QUICK CUTS

*There's going to be more than just awards and fancy dresses at this year's Primetime Emmy Awards, look for musical numbers performed by your favorite stars as well. Kristen Bell, William Shatner, Megan Mullally, Macy Gray, and others will sing TV theme songs throughout the September 18th broadcast per zap2it. Viewers will vote via text messaging or through CBS.com for their favorite performance. Look for the segment, "Emmy Idol," when the awards air on CBS later this month.

*NBC is releasing details on its upcoming premieres. For information on Medium's second season premiere and Law & Order: SVU's seventh season premiere visit The Futon Critic. Medium premieres September 19th and SVU premieres September 20th on NBC.

*ABC is releasing information on Lost's second season premiere. The press release says, "a castaway is chosen to descend into the mysterious hatch, and Shannon stumbles upon a shockingly familiar face in the jungle." For the full press release with spoilers, visit The Futon Critic.

*And finally, here's a look at the TV shows coming to DVD today. The big release is Lost's popular first season, but you'll also find the second season of Charmed, the third season of MacGyver, and the second season of Doogie Howser, M.D. For more releases this week, visit tvshowsondvd.com.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow as we visit where we left off on Medium and Lost. Plus, all the important TV news.